It was a frustrating afternoon at Wetherby Road as Town went down to a first minute goal against Morecambe.
Town made three changes from last Saturday’s defeat at Forest Green,with Connor Hall,Simon Power and Aaron Martin returning in place of Warren Burrell,Ed Francis and Mark Beck.
Within seconds of the start,the Shrimps scored the only goal of the afternoon when a strong run down the left by Carlos Mendes Gomes,ended with his shot deflecting over James Belshaw off Will Smith.
Town were finding it hard to make any impact on the game and could have been three down after fifteen minutes.
On fourteen minutes,John O’Sullivan broke through the middle only for Belshaw to block his strike,but luckily
For Town,Mendes Gomes’ follow up rebounded off the upright.
A minute later,Belshaw was in action again when he made a fine one handed save to keep out Carl Stockton’s effort.
Town began to claw their way into the game and on the half hour,Martin’s header from Power’s cross was just over the bar.
Then the Shrimps defence only half cleared a George Thomson free kick,but Hall’s follow up from the edge of the area sailed well over the woodwork.
On the cusp of half time,another Thomson free kick found Martin unmarked,but his header flashed just wide of the far post.
After the break,although they had the increasingly,freshening wind at their backs,Town were finding the well organised,cohesive Shrimps hard to break down.
As the game entered the last quarter of an hour,Morecambe were reduced to ten men when Nat Knight-Percival was dismissed after receiving a second yellow card.
Town introduced Mark Beck to exploit the situation and forced a series of corners,and although they hit the post in one goalmouth scramble,the elusive equaliser did not arrive.
Town,
Belshaw,Fallowfield,Jones,Smith,Hall.Power,Falkingham,Thomson,McPake(Kiernan87),Martin (Beck 75),Muldoon.
Unused subs,Minter,Burrell,Francis,Williams.
Booked,Jones 72.
Morecambe,
Letheren,Mellor,Knight-Percival,Davis,Diagouraga,Stockton(Cooney 79),Wildig,Mendes Gomes(McAlinden 82)Kenon,O’Sullivan.
Unused subs,Halstead,Pringle,Denny,Price.
Scorer,Mendes Gomes 1.
Booked,Knight-Percival(39(,Stockton(44),Gibson(89),O’Sullivan(90).
Sent Off,Knight-Percival(75).
Referee,Joshua Smith.
By John Harrison.
